Final Arrangements

"Thank you, brother. Treat him as a servant normally, and give him some pointers on swordsmanship when you have time. Although this kid is wild and stubborn, he's not truly unruly and is quite diligent. Having him by your side will put my mind at ease, and I won't have to worry about him anymore," Er said gratefully.

Lorist waved his hand and chuckled, "Heh heh, he's practically family, no need to be so polite. Besides, I've moved into the Gold Instructor's residential area at the academy, and the house is huge. I was wondering how I'd manage it all by myself, and you've sent me a free servant. I should be thanking you."

"Right, there was something else... what was it? I can't seem to recall," Er said, after thanking Lorist for his help, he began to rack his brain again, trying to remember the second reason he'd come to find Lorist.

"Hmm, I was with Ledos, and Giro, the fruit seller, sent word that you were back. So I came to find you. Ledos heard you were back and said something? It seemed to be about Brother Laude. Brother Laude? The next district over, Councilor Ummobard, that lecherous old man? Ah! I remember now." Er, unable to recall, paced frantically around the room, muttering to himself before finally remembering what it was.

"Heh heh, Brother Locke, did you get the thing I asked you to bring before you went to the Ruin Islands?" Er rubbed his hands together, a sly grin on his face.

"Ah, that Terence Donkey Whip, it took a lot of effort to get one, but Old Gall confiscated it. Your uncle said you haven't been practicing your skills properly lately, spending all your time with women, and that at your age you need this thing to boost your virility. He said it's completely unacceptable. So, he decided to keep it in his care. If you need it, go ask him for it," Lorist relayed Old Gall's words truthfully.

"What? My uncle took it?" Er jumped up. "Nonsense! That darn old man is always causing trouble for me. I'm perfectly healthy, I don't need that thing! I asked you to get it to give to Councilor Ummobard, that lecherous old man, as a gift for public relations. Old Issy in the two districts next to mine is retiring, and I've already come to an agreement with him. After the New Year, I'll take over the management of those two districts. Now, all we need is for that lecherous old man Ummobard to agree to lobby for us in the City Council, and it'll be settled."

Men really can't be told they're incapable. Seeing Er's flustered state, Lorist chuckled for a while, then asked curiously, "Hey, Er, doesn't the City Hall stipulate that each guild or organization can only manage a maximum of three districts? You already have three districts, and now you want to take over two more. Will the City Council agree to that?"

"It was Ledos's idea. We'll have Brother Laude take the lead, with half our people and half of Old Issy's remaining staff. We'll form a new guild to manage those two districts. On the surface, it'll be two separate entities, but in reality, it'll still be one family," Er said indignantly. "That greedy old Ummobard. Last time I gave him a hundred gold coins, and he still wouldn't give me a definitive answer, only saying he'd do his best to help. Then he started talking about how effective the Terence Donkey Whip is. After he came back, Ledos said that old man still wanted the thing, and since you were going to the Ruin Islands, I asked you to get one. I truly hope that after consuming this thing, the old man can maintain his vigor and die in the arms of a woman as he wishes."

Er was just venting. He didn't actually want that lecherous old Ummobard to die in the arms of a woman. That would cause him even more trouble and greater losses, forcing him to spend a large sum of money again to find a councilor in the City Council to represent them.

Lorist thought for a moment and offered Er a suggestion. In fact, when he obtained the Terence Donkey Whip in the Ruin Islands, he had already inquired about it. Just eating a thin slice beforehand was enough to give the user vigor for an entire night. The one he obtained was long and substantial enough to be sliced into one or two hundred pieces. Therefore, Lorist suggested that Er slice the thing first, then custom-make a batch of beautiful glass bottles, fill each with about a dozen slices and some medicinal wine, and then present them as gifts. This would make them appear more high-class and aesthetically pleasing, and the recipients would feel more honored. Most importantly, it would control the quantity, rather than Er's original plan of giving the entire Terence Donkey Whip to that old man Ummobard. If he did that, the old man would have enough for three years, and the next time he needed his help, the old man would demand an exorbitant price.

"Right! How did I not think of that? Brother, you always consider things so thoroughly," Er said, overjoyed. Lorist's words felt like a new window opening before him. He immediately thought of other possibilities, "Perhaps we can start a business specializing in this. We can send people to the Ruin Islands to buy up all the Terence Donkey Whips there, even at two or three times the price. Once we get them, we can slice them, repackage them as you suggested, and sell them. I believe this would be a very profitable business. However, the glass bottles might be a bit of a problem."

Lorist nodded. The glass bottles Er mentioned were indeed a problem. Galintea only produced two types of glass products. One was Green Glass, a type of flat glass with a lake green hue and poor transparency, suitable only for window panes and not very expensive. The other was Oil Glass, which was very transparent and clear, specifically used for producing glass test tubes and glassware, such as tea sets, wine sets, cups, and plates, and it was very expensive.

Both types of glass were specialties of the Kingdom of Trinber, the southwestern neighbor of the Forde Commercial Alliance. This was because the Kingdom of Trinber had a massive quartz mountain, the main ingredient for producing both types of glass. The production formula for these two types of glass was the greatest secret of the Kingdom of Trinber, and they strictly guarded it to prevent theft. Legend had it that during the era of magical civilization, mages used magic arrays to produce glass products, and the glass items from that era were incomparably exquisite. Unfortunately, the advent of the era of declining magic turned all prosperity into dust.

One mage painstakingly figured out how to produce Green Glass and Oil Glass without relying on magic arrays, and he passed down the methods and formulas to his children. Later, when the Kingdom of Trinber was established, the mage's descendants presented their ancestral recipes and production methods to the king and were thus enfeoffed as Grand Dukes. These two types of glass then became specialties of the Kingdom of Trinber.

Lorist had seen both types of glass. He believed the turbidity and lack of transparency in Green Glass were due to impurities in the raw materials that were not properly removed. What puzzled him was that the Kingdom of Trinber had been producing these two types of glass for a hundred years, yet they hadn't considered improving the production process. The size and quality of Green Glass had seen no progress in a century; it truly lacked initiative.

As for Oil Glass, it was a type of glass that Lorist had never seen even in his previous life. It looked similar to ordinary transparent glass, but it possessed a peculiar property: the glass itself seemed to have an oily surface, and nothing could adhere to it. Legends said that mages used the properties of Oil Glass to create large experimental setups, both to facilitate observation of changes during experiments and for easy cleaning. After an experiment, a simple rinse with water would remove any residue, as nothing could stick to it.

Lorist himself had conducted experiments, applying various adhesives to Oil Glass test tubes. After a day and a night, when he checked, the adhesives had dried, but when he picked up an Oil Glass test tube and shook it, the dried adhesives fell off like a layer of paper. They truly couldn't stick to Oil Glass.

When Lorist was designing and decorating that high-end women's clothing boutique, he had a headache over the glass issue. Green Glass was unsuitable, and Oil Glass did not produce flat glass. In the end, Lorist spent over ten gold coins for a large batch of white crystal, which he had processed into flat panels to solve the problem. The remaining crystal scraps were made into crystal chandeliers by Lorist's workers, which was a win-win situation.

"Currently, the most common Oil Glass test tubes on the market cost one large silver coin each, and the exquisitely crafted Oil Glass tea sets cost several gold coins per set. You can have someone design the bottle style first, then go to the Kingdom of Trinber and ask how much it would cost to customize them. As long as it doesn't exceed one gold coin, you can include it in your costs. The more exquisite the packaging, the higher the price you can charge, and those who buy this item will feel it's worth it. The more expensive it is, the more prestige it confers," Lorist told Er.

"Hmm, hearing you say that, I believe this will definitely be a good business. No, I have to go to the tavern immediately, lest that darn old man uses it up himself. That would be a huge loss." Er couldn't wait any longer and prepared to return to the Red Raven Tavern immediately to get the item from Old Gall.

Lorist laughed and cursed, "Stop talking nonsense. What would Old Gall use that for? Don't always argue with your uncle. He's doing it for your own good. Also, I spent eighteen gold Fude to get that thing, remember to pay it to the cashier."

"Uh, you probably don't know yet. Last month, my darn old uncle proposed to Louise, and Louise accepted. In two months, she'll be the proprietress of the Red Raven Tavern. Why did that darn old man wait so many years? He's almost sixty and is only now sprouting new leaves, like a withered tree blooming in spring. He doesn't even consider that he's almost twice Louise's age, and yet Louise is willing. Do you think I can rest assured that thing is in my darn old uncle's hands now?" Er revealed a major piece of news to Lorist.

"Is this true?" Lorist sat up straight.

"Of course. Everyone knew about it a month ago. You just got back, so they might have forgotten to tell you," Er said.

Lorist felt genuinely happy for Big Sister Louise. Having a good home was a blessing. Old Gall was a good person. Although he was old, he was a Gold Swordsman and much healthier than ordinary people. Perhaps in a year or two, he might even give Er a younger brother or sister.

"It seems I need to prepare wedding gifts for Old Gall and Big Sister Louise," Lorist said.

"There are still two months. Take your time to choose. Also, help me prepare one. I'm too lazy to think about it; it gives me a headache just thinking about it," Er said, looking at Lorist. "I'm heading back to the Red Raven Tavern now. Do you want to come along?"

"No, I'll stay here for this last night. Tomorrow morning, send a few carriages to help me move these books and other things to the academy. You can also have that kid who wants to learn swordsmanship come with me."

"Alright, I'm leaving then." Er disappeared silently, as if he had never been in the room.

As dawn broke, the entire city began to stir from its slumber. The sounds of carriages and chatter gradually merged into a symphony, and Molent City was once again filled with life and vitality.

Lorist sat at his desk all night. He watched the silver moonlight recede from the room, saw the twin moons disappear from the sky, watched the brilliant dawn clouds gather on the horizon, and saw the rising sun reveal its smiling face.

This was a new day, and a brand new beginning.

The sounds of servants talking and moving could be heard from downstairs, and soon, the door was knocked upon.

Rina and another maid entered, bringing Lorist a sumptuous breakfast, just like every morning for the past three years.

Rina's eyes were a little swollen, as if she had been crying last night.

She asked the other maid to leave, wanting to stay and serve Lorist his meal.

Lorist found it amusing, staring at Rina's swollen eyes. "Why don't you rub them with two eggs? It's very effective for reducing swelling."

"I'm fine. I was just too busy to notice," Rina turned her body away, not wanting Lorist to see her face.

"Sigh..." Lorist stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out a thick, heavy book. The cover was wrapped in Mulberry Paper, and the title read "The Fantastic Journey of Knight Mingulak." It should be a popular novel about knightly adventures.

Lorist placed the book in front of Rina. "Rina, this book is for you."

Rina was stunned. Lorist smiled, "I know you, like Miss, don't like this kind of novel, thinking it's all made up by authors to scam money. But open this book and take a look, you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Rina, half-believing, half-doubting, opened the book and gasped, covering her mouth. The book was filled with colorful illustrations of women's clothing designs.

"These are all designs I drew last year. Miss had seen some of them before. She wanted to produce them all and push them to the market, but I stopped her. If too many styles are released at once, it can easily cause confusion and prevent us from controlling fashion trends, thus reducing profits. That's why in the past few years, we only released over a hundred styles, and with your modifications, it was enough to meet customer demand. Here are over three hundred new women's clothing designs, all of which have never appeared before. Now, I'm giving them to you, Rina."

"D-does Miss know?" Rina held the book as if it were a hot coal, wanting to put it down but reluctant to do so.

"She knows, but she doesn't know I drew so many. Look at how messy this room is, it was your Miss's doing. She was looking for these designs, but she didn't know I had gathered them all together and disguised them as this book, placing it on the bookshelf. So, she couldn't find them. She might think I'm holding a grudge against her. Last night, she didn't ask me for them either," Lorist said with a hint of bitterness.

"The following words, do not mention them to anyone except your father, understand?" Lorist looked into Rina's eyes.

"I, I can swear..." Rina stammered.

"Tell your father, Knight Som. I believe it is an unwise decision for the Windsor Family to fully align with the Lofei Family. Miss is determined to marry into the Lofei Family and become a Marchioness, thinking this will bring protection to the Windsor Family. But what if the Lofei Family develops ambitions towards the Windsor Family? Then the Windsor Family will have no way out. Especially since Miss is selling off her properties in Molent City, she's cutting off her own retreat. Now that no one can stop it, we can only pray that Marquis Lofei is sincere towards Miss and doesn't have any ulterior motives."

"Yesterday, the eldest young lady revealed that the Marquis has a plan that can deliver a fatal blow to the lords who have seized your family's territory. Afterward, the Windsor family will be compensated with a piece of land. The eldest young lady will bestow that territory upon your father and promote him to Baron. If all goes well, Rina, you'll soon become a noble lady yourself. At that time, you must remind your father that regarding the Lofei family, he can concede on other matters, but there are two things he absolutely must not agree to."

"First, Young Master Windsor is only eleven years old. Do not let him accept the lord's education or knight training offered by the Lofei family, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances. Keeping him by your father's side is the safest option. When the young master is older, send him to study in Molent City, far from the Lofei family. Second, when the young master grows up, the Lofei family will very likely propose a marriage alliance. To prevent this, you should remind your father to quickly find a suitable candidate to arrange a marriage for the young master, thereby preventing the Lofei family's interference."

"The last point is about you, Rina. Do not let anyone else know about these designs I'm giving you, not even the eldest young lady or Susie. The reason the eldest young lady has decided to reopen her shop in Qigda's Royal City is because the Marquis will arrange everything for her. Therefore, I worry that this Windsor women's fashion boutique will fall into the hands of the Lofei family. If that happens, we will have to rely on the designs you have in hand to make a comeback. If anyone finds out you possess so many designs, I fear you will also be in danger. So, you absolutely must not let anyone know, understand?"

Rina nervously nodded her head vigorously, her small face turning red, her eyes becoming misty again.

"If the Lofei family has no ill intentions, then the fashion shop in the Royal City will remain the eldest young lady's property. You can then release one design every month or two, claiming it as your own creation. Truly, Rina, you've always been in charge of the women's clothing production and the refinement of details, you have a great talent. Having your own ideas in design is the most important thing. As long as you can become a renowned women's fashion design master, releasing new styles later won't arouse suspicion."

Lorist glanced out the window. "En, the carriages carrying the goods have arrived. It's time for us to say goodbye. Have you remembered everything I just told you?"

"I've remembered, Young Master Locke. I will do as you've instructed."